[GUIDE] 10.6.8 on a Dell Optiplex GX620

Posted 31 January 2012 - 01:28 AM

Cerastez

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This is a fast, easy way to install 10.6.8 on a Dell Optiplex GX620. You don't need to have an already functioning Mac to do this installation. It uses a retail Snow Leopard disk. It is not a vanilla kernel install When you are done everything will work, full QE/CL, sleep, sound and ethernet. Follow along with this video to see the installation step by step.

*Note that I recently tried this installation method on a GX620 that is a P4. i boot did not work with it. After trying a number of things I usedNawcom's boot CD instead if i boot. The rest of the installation method was the same.

Select the number of partitions that you want. Name them and make certain that their format is Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Hit the Options button and choose GUID Partition Table. Hit the Apply button, when the window pops up hit Partition.

When the partitioning is done, quit Disk Utility.

************************Basic System Installation***************************

Continue with the Snow Leopard installation. The button sequence is Continue, Agree, and Install. The install will take about 30 minutes. It is alright to walk away, you don't have to be there when the install finishes.

Put the i boot Legacy CD in your optical drive.

Restart the GX620.

When the screen with the red apple comes up, use the arrow keys to select the partition with the freshly installed Snow Leopard system, and hit Return.

The screen will go black, then you will get the gray Apple start up screen, and then you will get the glorious, Apple welcome sequence.

You will need to go through the set-up process. This is where you enter your address and time zone. It is a well guided process that I won't go through the details here.

************************Fixes and the Upgrade***************************

Copy the following files to your GX620. The i boot Legacy CD can be ejected, if you are copying from a CD.

Go to the Apple Menu and open System Preferences. Select Energy Saver and set both sleep option to Never. When you are done installing, sleep will work. For now it is vitally important that your system not fall asleep while you are installing. Quit System Preferences.

Open myHack Installer version 1.1. Press Continue until a window pops up, press Agree, next hit the Customize button.

In the Custom Install screen select:

com.apple.Boot.plist

GraphicsEnabler

Chocolate Kernal

EvOreboot.kext

IOATAFamily.kext

IONetworkingFamily.kext

ElliotForceLegacyRTC.kext

NullCPUPowerManagement.kext

Three selections will be left unchecked.

Hit Install, enter your Password and let it install. When it is finished Close myHack Installer.

************************Fix the Video*****************************If you are installing on the Ultra Small Form Factor GX620 with the integrated DVI with dual-monitor support, you must use a DVI cable to connect to your monitor. Do not use a VGA adapter!

Open DSDT Editor, under File select Extract DSDT.

In the menu under Patch select Open, and navigate to the DSDT Editor folder. Inside that is a Patches folder, open DTGP.txt.

A Patch window will open up. Press the Apply button and when it has finished, press Close.

Under Patch select Open, and navigate to the DSDT Editor folder. Inside that is a Patches folder, open GMA950 desktop.txt.

A Patch window will open up. Press the Apply button and when it has finished, press Close.

In the menu under IASL, select Compile. When the Compile window pops up hit the Fix Errors button, when it is done, close the window.

Under IASL, select Save AML as... Name the file dsdt.aml and save it to your desktop.

Quit DSDT Editor.

Open your hard drive's root directory and drag the dsdt.aml file into the Extra folder.

**************************************************************************This is a good time to run myFix1.3, eject your boot CD and restart.

************************Update to 10.6.8***************************

Open the MacOSXUpdCombo10.6.8.dmg. Hit Continue, Continue, Continue, Agree and Install. Authenticate with your password and let it install.

DO NOT RESTART when installation finishes. Drag the installation window off to one side and leave it alone.

Open your hard drive's root directory and right-click on the chocolate-kernel file, Move To Trash. You will have to authenticate with your password.

Remove the i boot Legacy CD from your optical drive and restart your computer. You should see the iHack start up screen, the gray apple screen and then you are running 10.6.8! You can now use Software Update to update your system.

************************Fix the Audio and Ethernet***************************

Open the AppleBCM5751Ethernet.kext and the AppleAC97Audio.kext

Use ###### to install the two kexts.

Go to the Apple Menu and open System Preferences, then Network. A window will pop up that says, "New Interface Detected." Hit Okay. The little red button next to Ethernet should change to green and move to the top of the list.

Posted 07 February 2012 - 03:25 AM

cabalist

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MyHack 1.1.

Where might that be available for download?

I googled and googled, and I found the MyHack dev page, but nothing as old as the 1.1 version. I tried the current version but canceled when it became clear that it didn't follow your instructions at all.

Thanks for any info--it is up and running now...I am just at the point where I need MyHack...

I found the MyHack 1.1.4 on the Nawcom CD. There are a couple of differences... The one I am thinking of is that there is no ElliotForceLegacyRTC.kext that I could find. A 'Doh moment, I know. There was an Apple-something-LegacyRTC.kext file. I probably should have selected THAT one--but I didn't.

Posted 07 February 2012 - 03:55 AM

Cerastez

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MyHack 1.1.

Where might that be available for download?

I googled and googled, and I found the MyHack dev page, but nothing as old as the 1.1 version. I tried the current version but canceled when it became clear that it didn't follow your instructions at all.

Thanks for any info--it is up and running now...I am just at the point where I need MyHack...

Posted 07 February 2012 - 08:30 PM

The processor is a Intel ® Pentium ® D Dual Core 2.80GHz. The installation went smoothly and it runs like a dream. It is very fast and has not had any issues.

I also installed on a GX620 with a 3.60GHz Pentium 4. That installation didn't go quite as smoothly. I had to use Nawcom's boot CD instead if #####. And when I had finished the initial installation and was doing the registration/set up process,there were problems. I was able to create a user account, but it froze up and I had to restart before the process was finished. Then it ran slowly, applications froze up often, it just wasn't running well. I was able to fix it by going to the system preferences/accounts and creating a new profile. I made the new account the admin and deleated the original account. It is running fantastically now.

Posted 07 February 2012 - 10:12 PM

cabalist

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I had the exact same thing happen regarding creating the first account--twice (which is all I have done so far). I did a reinstall at lunch and left it stuck at the 'creating the first account' screen. The first time, once it rebooted, it was easy to create a new account and then delete the old one. I figure that I will do that again as well. Also using Nawcom's CD. Good stuff.

EDIT: I was able to turn it off and reboot using the Nawcom CD, delete the original account (I gave it a throwaway name), and successfully create a new admin account.

First off, thank you to Cerastez for providing such a clear, concise guide. You aren't Swiss, are you?

Summary:

I followed Cerastez's guide, using the Nawcom boot CD (since I have a Pentium 4 HT) and either the 10.3 or 10.8 legacy kernel from Nawcom. Both 10.3 and 10.8 worked equally well (both have the double kernel panics, which is what actually made me try the 10.8 after the 10.3), therefore I lean toward the the newer one, the 10.8. I have one running on each.

After applying Nawcom's legacy kernel and rebooting (pre-kext file insertion) it boots to a gray screen after the gray Apple boot screen. To fix this issue boot to the installation via the Nawcom boot CD. Open the Terminal and type the following commands pressing Enter at the end of each line: (caveat: this is what I did, but the actual quote and link are below)

sudo mount -uw /sudo rm -rf /extra/dsdt.amlexit

Quote:"you can get in single user? (-s)root# type...

mount -uw /rm -rf /extra/dsdt.amlexit

change the locationplace the location where you want to delete the file"

I Install all of the available updates, except the 10.6.8 update (which was installed per the guide as a combo update) via the Apple Software Update app since the system appears to be 10.6.8 despite only showing 10.6 in the About This Mac window. I tell Apple Software Update to ignore that update (you can undo this at anytime).

Reboot.

Create new account via System Preferences>Accounts.

Log out.

Log in as new user.

Delete old user (I usually name the old user Admin2, a throwaway name).

Run OSX--for a while (usually a couple of hours, sometimes a little more, but not much more). Everything seems to go fine, then it "double kernel panics". Black screen, double kernel panic.

I have done this to two GX620s sev-v-v-veral times each and have seen the exact same results. Seeming success, and pretty easy too following Cerastez's guide with the fixes mentioned above, then weird, random (double) kernel panics.

Possible Causes:

1. Are we not changing something in the BIOS that needs to be changed (besides what is listed in the guide)?2. Is this the Sleep function not working (I am never actually working on it when it crashes)?3. Is this a missing or incorrect kext file (I have downloaded them several times just to get new copies)?

Somehow I think that it is a BIOS issue. No hard evidence, just a gut feeling.

Posted 20 February 2012 - 07:49 AM

I am not sure what would be causing the double kernel panic. I did run a program called myFix, that repairs permissions. I ran it when I was done installing.

I know that sleep works on the dual core GX620, but I can't say for sure with the Pentium 4. You could use the energy saver, system preference to set the computer to go to sleep in one minute and then watch it and see if sleep is causing your kernel panic.

In the Bios, everything is set at the default except

SATA Operation = Combination

Video Memory size = 8MB

There were only two kexts, and they are attached to the original post.

It is weird that the Apple Software Update app wants to update you to 10.6.8. When I ran it there were only minor app updates. It detected that I was already at 10.6.8.

Posted 18 March 2012 - 06:22 AM

Yes, you will get full QE/CI and there is no cursor after image.Sound worksSleep works

I have been running mine for just over two months and have not run into any issues. It is noticeably faster than the GX280 hackintosh that I had before. The Pentium D Dual Core is definitely a better choice than Pentium 4. The Dual core can handle iTunes 10's new visualizer, the Pentium 4 can not. Plus, as the posts above show, the installation doesn't go as smoothly.

Dual core processors are cheap on ebay. I bought one for $12. The upgrade is well worth it.

Posted 23 March 2012 - 01:38 AM

Cerastez

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Thank you for your fast reply, but I need help with another problem. With any OSX 10.6 disk it always gives me an Ebios read error, and when it boots it says: AppleIntelPIIXPATA Secondary PCI IDE channel is disabled please contact someone with a photo of the information printed below, along with a description of your previous shutdown cause: 0 system configuration and what you were doing at the time that the kernel panic occured. We apologize for the inconvenience

panic(cpu 0 caller 8x2a7e57): Kernal trap at 0x5178bfcd, type 14=page faultif you want the rest I can send the photo.I have the Pentium D 2.66 ghz dual core, with all of the same specs as yours, except my bios is A11. Mine is also the Ultra small form factor, if that makes a difference.

I haven't experienced that particular error. I did google it and the fix might be as simple as repairing the permissions. At what point of the install do you get this error?

I would also go into the bios and disable any drive that you are not using. If you have a floppy drive, definitely disable that.

Posted 26 March 2012 - 12:47 AM

jdla140

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Please disregard all of the above. I finally got it to work.
Instead of using ###### and a retail disk, I used a distro that I believe is called Snowleo, and it works just fine,
but you don't have to use myhack. If I recall, I didn't have to select anything from the customization menu on install. I Just left it the same and everything worked. After the install I followed your instructions and everything went according to plan. Thank you!!!!

Edit: I did select IOATAFamily.kext. That was not the exact name of it, it had 2 more letters at end, which I think were a K and P, so it looked like IOATAFamily KP.kext

Posted 21 April 2012 - 02:06 PM

macwunder

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First, thank you, THANK YOU, for this very well done tutorial. It worked the first time for me while others on the net left me tearing my hair out in frustration... Even with my original P4 HT CPU, but I have since installed a Pentium D.

My question is this... and it probably is a matter of personal preference, because networking works fine, and ifconfig reports the correct MAC address for the built-in ethernet. When I open Network Utility, or System Preferences -> Network, the MAC address reported for the ethernet interface is 00:00:00:00:00:00

Is this the same in your system? Is there a way to get the system to report the correct address in the GUI?

Posted 22 April 2012 - 12:13 AM

Cerastez

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First, thank you, THANK YOU, for this very well done tutorial. It worked the first time for me while others on the net left me tearing my hair out in frustration... Even with my original P4 HT CPU, but I have since installed a Pentium D.

My question is this... and it probably is a matter of personal preference, because networking works fine, and ifconfig reports the correct MAC address for the built-in ethernet. When I open Network Utility, or System Preferences -> Network, the MAC address reported for the ethernet interface is 00:00:00:00:00:00

Is this the same in your system? Is there a way to get the system to report the correct address in the GUI?

Again, many thanks for an excellent guide!

Regards;Jeff

Thank you, I am glad the guide worked for you. As far as I know, there is not a way to make the BCM5751 show its MAC address. Other ethernet cards are more compatible and will show their proper MAC address in the system preferences and Network utility. If you really want everything to be mac-like, you would have to get a compatable ethernet PCI card. Did you use the applescript that sets the MAC address on startup? I had to use it to get my router to connect with my computer.

Posted 05 June 2012 - 10:11 PM

pabloscotty

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Hello I have the same hardware and I've followed your's guide but after 10.6.8 update and the kernel update (before restart) It stuck on the grey screen. I've erased dsdt.aml in single user mode but it still won't boot to OS X. The only difference was 10.6 install disk.

Posted 05 June 2012 - 11:38 PM

Cerastez

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Hello I have the same hardware and I've followed your's guide but after 10.6.8 update and the kernel update (before restart) It stuck on the grey screen. I've erased dsdt.aml in single user mode but it still won't boot to OS X. The only difference was 10.6 install disk.

Please help.

Do you have a video card installed? Something other than the onboard video?

Posted 06 June 2012 - 05:03 AM

Do you have a video card installed? Something other than the onboard video?

Hello. No. only onboard video card Intel® 82945G Express.And this is ultra smal factor version. But the same specs as yours. Bios A11.

Now I'm trying to follow your guide with the 10.6.3 retail disk.OK same there I've just instaled 10.6.3 then myhack 1.1 then DSDT edits. I've skip the combo 10.6.8 restarted and the same grey screan appears. I'll use M@ultiBeast with ##### mode because I'm not super user and will see what happened.

No luck with easyDSDT computer restarts about half a second after apple logo I don't have any ideas how instal Snow Leopard on this maschine

OK I think I've found the problem. I've aplied yours guide to DSDT Editor but skiped patch for video. And after restarts system boots. So I should use different patch for the graphic. Maybye laptop version?

Posted 06 June 2012 - 02:01 PM

Hello. No. only onboard video card Intel® 82945G Express.And this is ultra smal factor version. But the same specs as yours. Bios A11.

Now I'm trying to follow your guide with the 10.6.3 retail disk.OK same there I've just instaled 10.6.3 then myhack 1.1 then DSDT edits. I've skip the combo 10.6.8 restarted and the same grey screan appears. I'll use M@ultiBeast with ##### mode because I'm not super user and will see what happened.No luck with easyDSDT computer restarts about half a second after apple logo I don't have any ideas how instal Snow Leopard on this maschine

OK I think I've found the problem. I've aplied yours guide to DSDT Editor but skiped patch for video. And after restarts system boots. So I should use different patch for the graphic. Maybye laptop version?